The Indian Kabaddi team entered the final of the South Asian Games 2019 in Nepal after a hefty win over a struggling Bangladesh side. The team, led by Deepak Niwas Hooda gave no chance to their neighbours and ended the game with a 44-19 scoreline in their favour.
This win re-confirmed India’s growing dominance in the sport of kabaddi as they now stand on the cusp of lifting another gold medal at the esteemed competition.
India went on the mat with five raiders and just two defenders, completely glorifying their attacking prowess. Patna Pirates’ Pardeep Narwal was on a roll as he bagged a Super Raid in the first raid of the match itself.
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Vikash Kandola and Surender Nada played an equally important role by gaining valuable points for the team while Naveen Kumar and Pawan Sehrawat’s alertness on the mat proved useful for the Indian team.
Defensive duties were shared between Amit Hooda and Surender who ensured that corners were covered and paved no way for the Bangladeshi raiders to collect points. The first half saw two All-Outs which gave the Indian contingent a substantial lead of 20 points going into the second half.
3⃣rd consecutive win for the Indian Men's Kabaddi team and they are sitting on the 🔝 of the table at the #SouthAsianGames2019 🙌#PirateHamla #SAG2019 pic.twitter.com/JAygVBP5ho
— Patna Pirates (@PatnaPirates) December 7, 2019
In the second half, Bangladesh tried to rediscover their lost groove but were held by the incessant raids led by Pardeep and Naveen. On the day, Bangladeshi raiders fell short and proved too fragile for the Indian defenders as despite three super tackles by Bangladesh defenders, their raiders were unable to steer through.
The match ended with India taking a mammoth 25-point lead as the scoresheet read 44-19.
India have now ensured a place in the final after also beating Sri Lanka and Pakistan in previous games.
Sub-continent rivals Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan are still hovering around and still stand a chance to qualify for the final on December 9, with one group-stage game remaining for each team.
Feature image courtesy: Twitter/ @UpYoddha
